UFC Hall of Famer Doo-Ho Choi, whose UFC 206 classic with Cub Swanson is in the Hall, faces off against Bellator legend Patricio Pitbull at UFC 331 this Saturday.
When it comes to the booking, which Choi called for, “I take it as the UFC is believing in me, is recognizing me, and I’m very excited to fight a legend like Pitbull,” he explained during Wednesday’s media day. “I’m happy the match-up came through.”
Choi has made a habit of calling his shots when possible, but as he later noted, “I’ve also fought who the UFC put in front of me.” As for the Pitbull callout, “when Daniel Cormier asked me who I wanted to fight, that’s why I put Pitbull out there.”
Given the Brazilian’s position as a double-champ in what was once the UFC’s biggest rival, “I thought there was a lot of advantages to beating a big name like Pitbull, and I thought that would be advantageous to my career.”
And while Choi couldn’t say that he was a “fan” of Pitbull during the Bellator era, “I can say that his fights gave me inspiration,” he admitted.
For the first time since 2019, Doo-Ho Choi fights outside of Las Vegas this Saturday. It’s a nice change of pace for the South Korean featherweight.
“I’m loving L.A. so far. The air is much nicer here than Vegas, and there’s a lot of Koreans in L.A.,” he told Cageside Press. “I’m excepting them to come out and support me, and I’m very grateful.”
Watch the full UFC 331 media day appearance by Doo-Ho Choi above.